Quax Gets Results

SUMMARY: given that in foreign policy as in love, action speaks louder than words, it seems silly to write that “today Vladimir Putin broke his silence on Ukraine”, but he did give his first public remarks at a Kremlin insider’s press conference in which he managed to sneer at the US and just about everyone while simultaneously flexing his muscles, and seeking to ramp it all down just a bit.

The assumption is he thinks he’s either already gotten what he wants in the Crimea (and Kiev?) or thinks that it’s all coming his way due to a combination of steps already taken, and continued ambivalence in Europe over how tough to be about it all.

We have to run…right now…yikes…to a dinner with Amb. Sasae…will pick up on Ukraine tomorrow except to note that the Merkel “tweet” apparently saying the thought Putin might be nuts actually was a mis-translation by someone…what she actually said is better translated as “Putin has a totally different world view than we do”.

Well…yeah!

Mega kudos to Quax. Countless policymakers and players in DC get that note tonight. So the question is: was the mistranslation and honest mistake or was it done on purpose and if so, why? My money is on a purposeful mistranslation. After all, why subsequently leak it to the New York Times?

Sean Paul Kelley

I wonder how many people understand just how dangerous a world we live in, here(sic) in America? I’m not talking about terrorists, war, or the surveillance state.
I’m speaking to the willfully mis-informed news media. Average people are making decisions and judgments based on pure fantasy; mis-understood, mis-reported, and purposefully mis-leading information presented as news.
These willfully ignorant people make up most of our ruling class.
A nightmare made normal by years of media speak.
May you live in interesting times; I already do…

Didn’t know commenting here and the tweets to my 81 odd followers could have such an impact

Very happy to see this has been picked up. When it comes to negotiating with Putin stupid rumours like this can subtly undermine Merkel’s stature. Whoever leaked this, apparently has little interest to see this kind of diplomacy succeed.